Book of Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali

The Book of Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali, written in Arabic and also known as Asrar Al Muhammad and Kitab-i Sulaym, contains narrations concerning the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), the recognition of the Imam, and the events that took place after the demise of the Prophet (s).

There has been extensive debate among Shi'a scholars regarding the attribution of this book to Sulaym b. Qays. Mir Hamid Husayn al-Hindi described Kitab-i Sulaym as older and more meritorious than all other Shia books. At the same time, al-Nu'mani and Ibn al-Nadim regarded it as the earliest foundational text of Shi'ism. In contrast, al-Shahid al-Thani and Ibn al-Ghada'iri considered the book to be forged and fabricated, and al-Shaykh al-Mufid advised against acting upon most of its narrations.

This book contains forty-eight extended narrations, most of which are transmitted from Imam Ali (a), Salman al-Farsi, al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad, and Abu Dharr al-Ghifari. Despite the disagreements surrounding the book's authenticity, Shi'a jurists have utilised its narrations in their legal works, including al-Shaykh al-Mufid, al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli, and al-Allama al-Hilli.

A critical edition of the book was published in three volumes by Muhammad Baqir Ansari Zanjani, prepared based on fourteen manuscript copies. The first volume contains an introduction that establishes the book's authenticity, while the second and third volumes comprise the book's text and its indices.

Kitab-i Sulaym has been translated into Urdu and Persian, and abridged versions of the work have also been published.

Status and Significance

Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Nu'mani (d. 360/970) and Ibn al-Nadim (d. early 5th/11th century) identified Kitab-i Sulaym as the earliest Shi'a foundational text, meaning a hadith collection transmitted directly from the Infallibles. Based on the doctrinal and historical indications found in the book, the period of its compilation has been suggested to be the final years of the Umayyad caliphate of Hisham b. Abd al-Malik (r. 105–125/724–743), and its place of composition is generally considered to have been Kufa.

It has been stated that despite the historical and theological problems found in the extant versions of Kitab-i Sulaym b. Qays, some of its narrations have been cited by Shi'a jurists in their legal writings across different historical periods. These include al-Shaykh al-Mufid, al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli, al-Allama al-Hilli, Mulla Ahmad Naraqi, Akhund al-Khurasani, and Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari.

Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli (1310–1396/1892–1976), in his work al-Aʿlam, introduced Kitab-i Sulaym under the title "Kitab al-Saqifa." The book has also been referred to by titles such as "Asrar Āl Muhammad (s)," "Kitab al-Fitan," "Kitab Wafat al-Nabi (s)," and "Kitab al-Imama." Agha Buzurg al-Tihrani, in al-Dhari'a, mentioned the book once under the title "Asl Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali," and elsewhere referred to it as "Kitab-i Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali."

Author

According to the information given in the introduction of the book attributed to him, Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali was born two years before the Hijra, was twelve years old at the time of the Prophet's demise, entered Medina at the age of sixteen, and died in 76/695 at the age of seventy-eight in the city of Nubandagan in Fars, where he was also buried.

In Rijal al-Barqi, one of the well-known Shi'a biographical works from the third Islamic century, the name Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali is listed among the companions of the first five Shi'a Imams. His name also appears in Rijal al-Barqi as one of the ninety companions of Imam Ali (a). Al-Barqi likewise mentions eleven companions of Imam al-Hasan (a), one of whom is Sulaym.

The name of Sulaym is also included among the fourteen companions of Imam al-Husayn (a). In addition, al-Barqi lists a figure named Abu Sadiq among the thirty-three companions of Imam al-Sajjad (a); according to the editor of the work, Haydar Muhammad Ali al-Baghdadi, this Abu Sadiq is the same person as Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali, whose teknonym was Abu Sadiq.

Kitab-i Sulaym contains forty-eight narrations, most of which are generally extensive. The content of the book includes an account of the events following the Prophet's demise, the period of Imam Ali's caliphate, the virtues of Imam Ali (a) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a), as well as predictions of certain events of the first Islamic century.

It has been stated that most of the book's hadiths are transmitted from Imam Ali (a), Salman al-Farsi, al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad, and Abu Dharr al-Ghifari; however, the book also contains narrations attributed to Imam al-Hasan (a), Imam al-Husayn (a), Imam al-Sajjad (a), Ammār b. Yasir, Abd Allah b. Abbas, Abd Allah b. Ja'far, and Muhammad b. Abi Bakr.

According to Muhammad Taqi Subhani, a Shi'a scholar of theology, the most important themes addressed in Kitab-i Sulaym b. Qays includes:

Emphasis on the superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a);
Affirmation of the wilāya and designated succession (wasaya) of Imam Ali (a) after the Prophet (s);
Explicit statements by the Prophet (s) concerning the number of the Shi'a Imams and their identification;
Explicit assertion that Imam al-Mahdi (a) is from the ninth generation of the descendants of Imam al-Husayn (a);
An account of the details of the Saqifa event and the manner in which Imam Ali (a) and his companions responded to it;
The incident of the attack on and burning of the house of Imam Ali (a) and Lady Fatima (a).
The apostasy of all the Companions after the Prophet's demise, except four: Salman, Abu Dharr, al-Miqdad, and Zubayr;
The plot to assassinate Imam Ali (a) by Khalid b. al-Walid on the orders of Abu Bakr;
The lack of true faith among the first two caliphs and their adherence to pre-Islamic beliefs;
The collection of the Qur'an by Imam Ali (a) and his stance regarding the compilation efforts of 'Umar and 'Uthman;
The prophecies of the Prophet (s) and Imam Ali (a) concerning the tyrannical Umayyad rule, the Abbasid revolution, and the oppression of the Shi'a.

Divergent Opinions: From Forgery to Full Endorsement

Regarding Kitab-i Sulaym b. Qays, scholars have expressed divergent and sometimes conflicting views. Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Nu'mani fully endorsed the book, considering it one of the most valuable Shi'a hadith collections. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, while not completely denying its authenticity, spoke of possible textual distortions within it. Ibn al-Ghada'iri and al-Shahid al-Thani regarded Kitab-i Sulaym as forged by Aban b. Abi Ayyash.

Endorsement of the Book’s Authenticity

Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Nu'mani, a fourth-century Shi'a exegete and traditionist, in his work al-Ghayba, described Kitab-i Sulaym as one of the most valuable hadith books among all Shi'a scholars and narrators and regarded it as trusted by the Shi'a.

Ibn al-Nadim, a fourth-century bibliographer, also considered Kitab-i Sulaym to be the first book written among the Shi'a. Mir Hamid Husayn, author of Abqat al-Anwar, regarded Kitab-i Sulaym as older and more meritorious than all other Shi'a books.

Muhammad Baqir Khwansari, author of Rawdat al-Jinan, similarly described it as the first book compiled and collected among Muslims. Additionally, al-Muhaddith al-Qumi considered it the first Shi'a book and a well-known work among traditionists.

Classification of the Book as Forged

Ibn al-Ghada'iri, a fifth-century Shi'a biographer, in his Rijal, considered the work attributed to Sulaym b. Qays to be forged, questioned its attribution to Sulaym, and stated that the book was fabricated by Aban b. Abi Ayyash and falsely ascribed to Sulaym. Ibn Dawud al-Hilli also classified Kitab-i Sulaym as forged in his own Rijal work.

Al-Shahid al-Thani, a tenth-century Shi'a jurist, in his marginal notes on Khulasat al-Aqwal by Allāma al-Hilli, cited a narration from Kitab-i Sulaym in which Muhammad b. Abi Bakr supposedly admonishes his father at the time of death. He considered this narration as evidence of the book's forgery, reasoning that Muhammad b. Abi Bakr was born during the Farewell Pilgrimage in 10 AH, and since Abu Bakr died in 13 AH, it would have been impossible for his son to have admonished him.

Ultimately, al-Shahid al-Thani, relying on the weakness of the chains of transmission and the presence of Ibrahim b. 'Umar al-San'ani and Aban b. Abi Ayyash, among the narrators, rejected the book. He stated that the maximum that can be accepted is to separate the erroneous material from the text, while the remaining content should be neither outrightly rejected nor fully endorsed.

Abu l-Hasan Sha'rani, a Qur'an and hadith scholar, in the margins of his commentary on Sharh Usul al-Kafi, considered Kitab-i Sulaym to be forged, but regarded the purpose of compiling such a book as valid (similar to Kitab Husniyya and Kitab al-Tara'if by Ibn Tawus). He added that since Sulaym was not infallible, he collected both authentic and inauthentic narrations, known and unknown, and therefore, material found exclusively in this book cannot be relied upon, unless corroborated by external evidence. However, he noted that most of the content of Kitab-i Sulaym appears in other works and is thereby confirmed by them.

Neither Completely Forged nor Fully Reliable

Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, a fifth-century Shi'a jurist and theologian, in his work Tashih al-I'tiqadat al-Imamiyya, did not permit acting upon most of the narrations in Kitab-i Sulaym due to alterations made in the text and advised the faithful against relying on them.

Al-Allama al-Hilli, an eighth-century Shi'a jurist and theologian, in Khulasat al-Aqwal, although considering Sulaym b. Qays to be trustworthy, stated that one should avoid acting upon the erroneous material in the book attributed to him.

Muhammad Taqi Shushtari, in his work Qamus al-Rijal, rejected Ibn al-Ghada'iri's claim that the original book was forged, asserting that the original text is not forged; however, he noted that adversaries have tampered with it and corrupted its contents.

Critiques and Opinions

Scholars have raised various criticisms regarding the themes and contents of Kitab-i Sulaym. In an article titled "Kitab-i Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilali", Qasim Juwadi enumerated eighteen points of critique, some of which are:

Transmission of a hadith after the author's death: The book reports a narration from the time of Ibrahim al-Nakha'i's death, whereas Sulaym b. Qays died in 76 AH, and the death of Ibrahim al-Nakha'i occurred in 95 or 96 AH. Muḥammad Baqir Ansari Zanjani, in his critical edition of Kitab-i Sulaym, addressed this issue by attributing the narration to Aban b. Abi Ayyash. However, the problem suggests that the book does not belong to Sulaym, and assigning the narration to another individual does not resolve the chronological inconsistency.

The Prophet's Address to Imam Ali (a) as "my brother": According to a narration recorded in Kitab-i Sulaym, the Prophet (s) allegedly never addressed Imam Ali (a) except by the term "my brother." However, the book also contains other narrations in which the Prophet (s) addressed Imam Ali (a) using different expressions. The coexistence of these two types of narrations indicates that alterations were made to the original text.

Contradiction with established historical facts: Some narrations in Kitab-i Sulaym are inconsistent with well-established historical events. For example, one narration states that after 'Uthman, Mu'awiya and his son would assume power, whereas historically, the caliphate of Imam Ali (a) began after 'Uthman. In another instance, a narration claims that the number of Umayyad caliphs was ten, while historically, the number was fourteen.

Manuscripts and Editions

The manuscript copies of Kitab-i Sulaym are estimated to number up to sixty-nine. According to Imadi Ha'iri in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the various copies of Kitab-i Sulaym b. Qays, dating from the fourth century AH, exhibits discrepancies. Over different historical periods, the text underwent modifications, and additional material was inserted into the book.

A critical edition of Kitab-i Sulaym b. Qays was published in three volumes in 1415 AH by Muhammad Baqir Ansari Zanjani, based on a study of fourteen manuscript copies of the book. The first volume contains a detailed introduction to the book's authenticity, while the second and third volumes include the text of the book and its indices.

Translations

Urdu translation by Shaykh Malik Muhammad Sharif b. Shir Muhammad Shah Rasuluwi Multani in 1375 AH;
Persian translation first published in 1400 AH in Najaf;
Persian translation with the Arabic text by Shaykh Muhammad Baqir Kamra'ie in 1412 AH;
Persian translation titled Asrar Āl Muḥammad (a) by Isma'il Ansari Zanjani;
Persian translation titled Tarikh Siasi-yi Sadr al-Islam by Mahmud Rida Iftikarzada.

Abridgements

Two scholars have selected narrations from Kitab-i Sulaym and compiled them as "Selected Narrations from Kitab-i Sulaym":

Shaykh Abdul-Hamid b. Abdullah Karahrudi
Sayyid Muhammad Ali Shah-Abd al-Azimi (d. 1334 AH)

Notes

Sha'rani, in a footnote to his Sharh Usul al-Kafi (by Mulla Salih Mazandarani), after noting that Sulaym counted the number of Umayyad rulers as twelve, stated that this indicates the book was written at a time when the number of Umayyad tyrants had not yet exceeded twelve:

"It appears that he composed it in the late period of the Umayyad state, when the number of unjust caliphs had not yet exceeded twelve, as it mentions that the usurpers among them are twelve."— Māzandarānī, Sharḥ Uṣūl al-Kāfī, Al-Maktaba al-Islāmiyya, vol. 2, p. 373.